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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25042198">Fractions of the past</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/PixelC/pseuds/PixelC'>PixelC</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angel Wings, Betrayal, Demons, Dreams and Nightmares, Fantasy, Friendship, Gods, Hybrids, I might add two more parts I just don't know yet, Implied/Referenced Torture, Orphans, Pranks, Psychological Trauma, magic (kinda), past trauma</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 09:42:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,883</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25042198</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/PixelC/pseuds/PixelC</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The first part of her journey was to met a certain someone. In doing this, the future is both saved and doomed to fail. Was it worth it?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Fractions of the past</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Posting my first original work please go easy on me. I also wrote this for my final English project and got a hundred yay (granted it was only out of 20 points but still)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>700 years before the present</p>
<p>The sun was warm and the breeze cool. The grass was soft under her bare feet. There was the faint noise of children playing in the woods and the crashing of waves at the bottom of the mountain. A building stood tall in front of her, white with coloured panes of glass and a big red door that a giant could fit through. A dirt path circles the building and goes off into the forest.</p>
<p>“This is a place for all sorts of children to live in until they are ready for the world outside of it.” The man beside her held out his hand for her to take. </p>
<p>So far he had been nothing but kind to her. He took her from her hell, let her wash away the dirt and blood on her skin, and gave her clothes to wear. The red tunic was soft and the dark shorts were refreshing. He even straightened out her clumps of hair stuck to her previously shaved head. She was never given a number tattoo but he said he could have removed it if she did. Her right eye was properly bandaged and blood no longer leaked from it. She doesn’t know why it took so long to heal.</p>
<p>She looked at his outstretched hand with a frown and didn’t take it. He didn’t seem bothered and continued walking.</p>
<p>“Some of the children can be a bit rough or reckless but they mean no harm. There’s really no adults here, and studies are optional. Be careful when training with others, and if you need restrictions don’t hesitate to ask. We honestly just want you to feel comfortable in your own skin, okay?” He gave her a warm smile as they walked inside. It was colder than the outside. </p>
<p>“Any room that doesn’t have a name plate is empty so choose whichever one you like. Straight ahead in the dining area and to the left of that in a library. You can go anywhere in this building and on the mountain itself. I usually come around once a month to check up on things. Any questions?”</p>
<p>She shook her head.<br/>
“Alright. Well I'll be here until sunset, oh! My name is Mephias by the way.” He waved and left her alone.</p>
<p>She watched him leave. She found this place odd. There were maybe two hundred people on the mountain, about fifty in the building and the rest outside. One was very close to her but she didn’t make a move to call them out. The building was quiet, not unlike the one she came from. </p>
<p>She started walking right, entering the first hall. She wanted a high up bedroom, so she could escape quicker if the need came. She wasn’t surprised when a boy jumped down from the ceiling.</p>
<p>“Boo!” He had his hands raised to tower over her. He had short cut black hair and reddish brown eyes. He wore a wide grin showing off his teeth. He was half a foot taller and his limbs weren’t sticks, his cheeks not hollow. He had on a gray tunic and black shorts. She could see dirt smudges all over him, like he was rolling around on the ground.</p>
<p>“Didn’t scare you huh? You’re new right? Probably trained for this thing?” He dropped his hands and circled her. “You got a name shortstack?”</p>
<p>“I don’t like my name.” She said.</p>
<p>“Then a nickname?”</p>
<p>“A what?”</p>
<p>“You know, like a shortened version of your name. I could give you one but you would have to tell me your name.” She looked reluctant. “How about I give you a nickname and you can give me one? Even though I’ve been here a while I never really talked to someone long enough to give them my name so they don’t know mine either. Good deal right? We’ll be the only ones to know each other’s real name.”</p>
<p>She motioned him to bend down. She whispered her name in his ear.</p>
<p>“Hmm. There’s the obvious choice in there but we’re not basic. How about A?”</p>
<p>“Just the letter?”</p>
<p>“Yep! I know people who go by two letters, same or different. But you’re unique so I gave you a unique name. Now me!” He bent down to her and whispered. </p>
<p>“.... Ori…”</p>
<p>“Ori?”</p>
<p>“It fits.”</p>
<p>Ori laughed. “Fits? But we barely know each other A! Ooh ooh, how about we play twenty questions? It’s where we ask questions back and forth about each other until we each have asked twenty questions. Then we’ll know if the name fits.”</p>
<p>“Okay.” She had been walking up the steps looking for a room and Ori had followed. He was kind, enthusiastic. Different from the people she spent the last six hundred years with. </p>
<p>“I’m going first alright? So what are you?”<br/>
“A divine angel.”<br/>
“Cool! Now ask me something.”<br/>
“What are you?”<br/>
“A god. Where did you come from?”<br/>
“A lab. Where did you come from?”<br/>
“Same. Why do you ask the same questions I’m giving you?”</p>
<p>A paused when she heard where he came from. He must have been here a while to be able to let his guard down around her. As to his question, she wanted to see his reaction and- “The people I was with didn’t talk much, I don’t know what to ask.”</p>
<p>“Huh? There were others? Why aren’t they with you?”<br/>
“I don’t know.”<br/>
“Don’t know or don’t care?”<br/>
“Both.”<br/>
“But aren’t they your kind? How could you say something like that? I mean, even if you weren’t close you must have spent your entire time there with them. No feelings towards them at all?”</p>
<p>“Four of them barely looked at me. I was close with one but she isn’t on my side anymore. So I don’t really care what happens to any of them.”</p>
<p>Ori scrunched up his face and leaned away from her. He had stopped walking with her. She reached out her hand to touch his arm but he recoiled back. </p>
<p>“That’s awful. I can understand hating humans ‘cause of what they’ve done in those places. But the people with you, they were stuck there, the same as you. You sound like you couldn’t care less! Even the person that betrayed you, you don’t even look bothered by it!” Ori hung his head low. </p>
<p>“Even just talking to you, you don’t look interested. I know you came from a bad place but you couldn’t retain any of your old self before that? I… “ He pursed his lips together and turned away. “I’m goin’ for a walk.”</p>
<p>She watched him leave. She turned to her left and opened a door. She picked one of the highest rooms at the end of the hall. The room had a slanted roof. A round window across from the door which could be opened by a latch. And a plain bed and a desk with an unlit lantern. </p>
<p>She shut the door behind her and walked to the window, opening it and climbing out onto the slanted roof. The view was nice. The forest was a sea of trees, there was another, smaller mountain which led to a steep cliff over the body of water that surrounded the whole main mountain. There wasn’t any animal life, only the children.</p>
<p>She thought back to her talk with Ori. Why did he look upset, why did she reach out towards him? She stared down at her own hand. What was she trying to do? Why did it sound so hard for him to understand that she couldn’t care for them?<br/>
The lab she had grown up in wasn’t a caring place. Showing emotion was dangerous, the wrong emotion could take control of your actions and make you do something that you’ll regret. She couldn’t afford to make a mistake, one that could get her and several others killed. Besides, she was raised to be their weapon and weapons can’t be their own person.</p>
<p>But this boy, he could talk to her so easily. Like she was just another person and not a danger to others. Was she that weak to fall for it? Or did she just crave any normalcy at this point. </p>
<p>But what was his lab like? Her thoughts cut off as she didn’t want to think about it anymore. Instead, she sat on the roof and listened to the sounds around her. She wanted to finish their game. Someone rang a bell and children started to go inside. Judging from the time of day she assumed it was meal related, so she climbed back inside and made her way to the dining hall.</p>
<p>The dining hall was big but there was barely anyone. Most people who were there were spread out and eating. There was one group of four people. One girl took notice of her and bounced up to her. She had green hair up in a bun, yellow slitted yes, and small patches of scales on her face. </p>
<p>She grinned and took A’s hands in between her own. She either didn’t notice or didn’t care when A flinched from the contact.</p>
<p>“Hi!” Her voice was loud and cheerful. “You must be new around here. Well, welcome to our wonderful home! What’s your name? My name is Myra!”</p>
<p>“Um… my name is A.”</p>
<p>“Just A? That’s cute. Hey, have you made any friends yet, i can be your friend.”</p>
<p>“Ori is-”</p>
<p>“Ori?” Myra’s face dropped for a second, but she quickly calmed herself. “There isn’t an Ori here. I know everyone here, maybe you got their name wrong.”</p>
<p>“She didn’t.” Ori came up from behind A and stared down at Mrya. He grabbed Myra’s hands that still held onto A but she ripped them away.</p>
<p>“That’s your name? A, don’t hang out with him, he’s an awful influence.” She snarled. Her facade dropped as she glared at Ori. </p>
<p>“Excuse you! I happen to be an amazing person. And we happen to be best friends and our friend group has a limit of two.” Ori shoved two fingers into Myra’s face. Myra gave a warning hiss. </p>
<p>“Who would want to be friends with you anyway, freak.” Myra turned sour and walked back to her group.</p>
<p>“She gets upset way too easily, no fun at all.” Ori started to leave. “C’mon A, I wanna show you a cool spot.”</p>
<p>They walked into the forest. Anyone they came across ran out of view until they left, eyeing them silently. The forest got denser the farther they walked, the path disappeared a while ago. The sky got dark and it was getting harder to see. They stopped at a clearing. They were at a cliff overlooking the water. The moon brightened up the water and the breeze had stopped.</p>
<p>“This is one of my favorite spots.” Ori spun around taking it all in like it was his first time seeing it. “Not many people walk this far and those who do, know it’s my spot and they stay away. Do you like it?”</p>
<p>“Do you want my approval?”</p>
<p>He smiled. “Well if we’re gonna be friends then I want you to like it, we’re gonna be here a lot.” He breathed in deep. “Too bad it’s fake.”</p>
<p>It was fake? But everything felt real. The dirt and rocks on her feet felt rough, the texture of the leaves in the forest was soft and the breeze was cool. But the children were the only life, no bugs or animals. But nature, nature needs that to survive and flourish right? Were the books she read outdated?</p>
<p>“It feels so life like right? We’re in a pocket space of sorts. One created by the higher ups so more of us survive, not like we’re in danger or anything but whatever. Anyway, it is pretty amazing how close they can get it to the real world. Even the so-called plant life, basically plastic. But for the all powerful beings that they are, they refuse to make life, or maybe they can’t, who knows.”</p>
<p>“Who are the higher ups?”</p>
<p>He whipped his head to stare at her. “The higher ups. The council? The ones who run this shit?”</p>
<p>She blinked.</p>
<p>“They really taught you nothing huh? I guess i’m going to have to teach you then, no way am I letting you leave here without knowing the ins and outs of all this.”</p>
<p>“They taught me how to fight.”</p>
<p>“And while that is very good to know for someone like us, you still need to know what you're up against. For now let’s wait till sunrise.”</p>
<p>“But it just became night.”</p>
<p>“And? You don’t need to sleep right?”</p>
<p>“No.”</p>
<p>“Then we wait. You can ask questions if you want.”</p>
<p>“Before, you got upset and now you’re not, why?”</p>
<p>“Yeah that,” Ori rubbed the back of his neck. “I ran into Mephias, he said ‘I shouldn’t have so harshly judged you because I wasn’t in your situation’. So I gave it some thought and I guess he’s right?”</p>
<p>He sat down near the edge of the cliff and she sat across from him. His guard was down and he looked to be enjoying her company. To be honest, she wanted to fight him. He was smart and she doubted it would take long for him to pick up her fighting style. From there he could toy with her or take her down quickly. </p>
<p>He wasn’t the strategist type, maybe just comes up with a basic plan. He knew how to pick his battles. He would most likely tease his opponent until they destroyed themselves. Using how quickly he shot down Myra, he had a previous interaction with her that left a bad impression.</p>
<p>Myra was more of a manipulator. She was all bark and no bite. She was some sort of a reptile hybrid, she would be more agile and quicker than others but sounded too emotionally sensitive to last long in a war zone. </p>
<p>Ori and Myra were similar to each other. They wanted to know about any potential prey that they could use to their advantage. But they refuse to work together, they don’t want to share. It was also a hierarchy thing, Myra had more people under her thumb. If she convinced them Ori was nothing but a nuisance, she had power above him. But it angered her that Ori could care less.</p>
<p>“I’m surprised you're not asking.”</p>
<p>“Asking what?”</p>
<p>“The others here, they don’t like me, maybe even fear me.”</p>
<p>“I assumed it’s from Myra’s influence. She’ll probably treat me badly too, now that I’m with you.”</p>
<p>“Observant little thing aren’t you? Myra uses her good old charm to lure victims to her side. She’s probably scared of me you know? ‘Cause I’m stronger. Strength in numbers right?”</p>
<p>“Not much strength if everyone on your side is weaker. Sure, tactics like that are used to tire out the opponent, but it doesn’t always work. Others can use it to judge how strong the other is or how they fight. Even used to simply overwhelm unsuspecting people.”</p>
<p>Ori whistled, the noise loud and out of nowhere. “That’s the most I’ve heard you speak so far. Who knew it only took a couple of hours with yours truly to make you warm up.” He grinned and rocked back onto his hands. “Got any more questions?”</p>
<p>“The eating area. Are there people here who have to eat? How is food prepared here?”</p>
<p>“A couple groups do have to eat, but the others enjoy the feeling of it, like they’re human. The council made some magical machine thingy that can produce any food upon request. It’s cool to watch.”</p>
<p>“I thought people wouldn’t like humans.”</p>
<p>“I mean, yeah, some are like that. But not all humans are bad, it really depends on where you are. But wherever we choose to go when we deem ourselves ‘ready to leave’, if we’re trying to fit in with humans, they want to know what to expect. Some of them actually want to get along with them. </p>
<p>And some creatures have the lifespan of your average human, making it easier to blend in. Even the ones who have different physical appearance are learning ways to disguise themselves. Or you know, say it’s a tattoo, makeup, or it came from some freak accident.”</p>
<p>“Would you ever? Walk amongst the humans I mean.”</p>
<p>“I… I don’t know. The humans in the lab, they wanted to test my limits. They tortured me. I think if I were to live like them, I’d fuck it up. I would seek revenge on those who were never even alive during that time.” He chuckled and hung his head. “That’s pretty awful right?”</p>
<p>She didn’t have an answer to that. At this point in her life, she would do the same. Hurting, killing, for some reason brought satisfaction to her, but she had been raised that way. It wasn’t always like that, she was sure that before the lab she was taught to love life. She wants to learn it again.</p>
<p>They sat in silence. Hours passed, they adjusted their spots silently. Ori leaned against a tree, A swung her legs over the edge, it was a far drop. There weren’t rocks at the bottom, only water. Finally it got a little lighter. A could hear Ori stand.</p>
<p>She looked at him. He placed his left hand on the tree and faced the rising sun. The light softened his face as he smiled. He lifted his right hand to point out and she followed it. The sun peeked over the water. The sky blended pinks, oranges, purples, and blues. Clouds spotted the sky and it was so, so calm.</p>
<p>“This is why this is my favorite spot. Perfect place to see the sun first thing. One thing this place has in common with the real world, the sun rises and sunsets are always new, not a single time has the sky been painted the same. It reminds me of home.”</p>
<p>“You have a home?”</p>
<p>“Well, not anymore. I have only good memories of that place, even as it was burning to the ground, the fire itself was hypnotizing. Everything was beautiful.” Ori breathed in deep. He hugged his arms as the mountain started to warm up, and the breeze came back.</p>
<p>“Today starts our first day of learning. You ready?”</p>
<p>A nodded. They both walked to the middle of the clearing, facing each other.</p>
<p>“This first day, I’m going to ask you the questions. I don’t know a lot of your species and the books look sketchy. Anything you don’t want to answer now, you don’t have too, but please answer as many as you can.”</p>
<p>“Okay, I’ll tell you what I know.”</p>
<p>He grinned. “Great. First I want to know what powers you guys have.”</p>
<p>“Well, all of us have what can be called healing blood. One drop of our blood can bring someone back from the brink of death, whether you ingest it or it’s put directly into the wound. However too much of it given away can cause the receiver to die. I don’t really know why, I was never taught.</p>
<p>Secondly, we can materialize weapons into existence. It’ll look like specs of dust merging together to create whatever we choose. I don’t know what it’s made of, but it’s strong, stronger than any kind of natural material. We can’t color it, so it’ll look like metal.</p>
<p>Third, like a traditional angel we are given wings. Like our weapons they materialize. They act like two other limbs and move as we want them to. Also as a defense mechanism, they can become hard and sharp. But they are still very light and it’s easy to fly with them in that state.</p>
<p>Lastly, everyone is given an individual power. Similar to you gods, the power can be elemental or not. My power is connected to the mind, so far I can lock away memories and kind of look into the mind of others.”</p>
<p>A breathed. That’s the most she’s spoken in a while. She thinks she overdid it and looked at Ori. His mouth hung open but he looked so excited. He looked like a child, like he should. Eyes filled with curiosity and, and…</p>
<p>“That’s amazing! You guys sound so cool! I bet your species is so strong and you guys have the toughest warriors. Your wings must be beautiful, and wow, you all have unique powers? And you can make these cool weapons, do they appear slowly or quickly? Does it get faster the more you practice? Are you guys immortal, how do you die?”</p>
<p>Ori went on a rant. He stood upon and paced around, flailing his arms and looking overjoyed. It was a little overwhelming. No one had ever been this happy at learning about something new. The scientists looked bored and acted like talking stone statues. The man who owned the lab acted happy but he already seemed to know everything he needed to know about her kind. </p>
<p>Ori stood still and took a couple of breaths, he couldn’t help it though. He could finally know about divine angels after years of asking around. No one seemed to know anything but now he had the real thing right in front of him! But even with her stoic face he could tell she was startled. He needed to calm down, no way could he scare her away now. Besides, they were friends, he wanted her to stick around.</p>
<p>“Sorry, sorry too much I know. How about you just answer the last question. Are you immortal and how do you die?”</p>
<p>“We are immortal. We do age very slowly. While a human would age by one year we would age by a century. As for dying, it’s having our soul shattered. We could lose limbs or even our head, but with our blood all you would need to do was stick it into the place said limb would stitch itself together in seconds. We can’t bleed out or get poisoned, we don’t require food or sleep. Having our soul shattered would be the only way to kill us.”</p>
<p>“So are you going back to your home when you leave?”</p>
<p>“I can’t. The lab somehow made a weapon to kill us, and they destroyed my home. There are only six of us left.”</p>
<p>“Oh.” They went quiet. “One more question. What’s your goal?”</p>
<p>“My goal?”</p>
<p>“What’s keeping you going? What’s that thing that you want to achieve during this life?”</p>
<p>“I, I don’t have one.”</p>
<p>“Then I’ll tell you mine. My goal is to learn everything there is to know. Every spec of information I want stored in my mind no matter how small it is.”</p>
<p>“What happens when you do finish your goal?”</p>
<p>“Thing is when picking a goal, you want to pick something that is impossible to complete. And while a goal like that might make people give up, we also love to prove the world wrong.”</p>
<p>“But you’re immortal too, if you live till the end of time-”</p>
<p>“I won’t. I know I won’t even get close to then. I know I’ll never live that long. I’ll piss off the wrong person then I’ll die. And that’s that. Impossible goal.” </p>
<p>Ori gently took her hand into his and walked. “You’ll think of a goal soon. For now, I’ll show you around the mountain.”</p>
<p>They went on like this for a month. They would end up at the clearing, watch the sunrise, discuss other species, then Ori would show A nice hiding spots around the area. </p>
<p>Ori taught her a lot. The concept of dying is different to us. A god can get hit by a car, their heart will stop and they’ll die, but the body dematerializes and rematerializes as if nothing happened. No injuries remain and they’ll be ‘alive’. </p>
<p>Being alive is different too. In this stage they are both alive and dead, but they were once human. </p>
<p>When a human dies their soul ends up in a room with four doors and a man. That man is Mephias, he is the god of passing. He asks the same question to anyone who enters. Depending on that answer Mephias eithers sends them to heaven, hell, or reincarnation. Heaven and hell being there to be an end to the cycle of living. Reincarnation has two doors. Reincarnation and sub-reincarnation.</p>
<p>The soul is allowed to pick from these two doors. Reincarnation sends the soul to a new body with no memories to restart their human life, regardless of who they were before . Sub-reincarnation is often overlooked because of the ‘sub’ part making it sound worse. Sub-reincarnation allows the soul to become one of us. It depends on who you were in your human life that determines what you become. </p>
<p>He taught her the most common creatures she would encounter, but he left out on how they fight. Said it would be a good challenge for her.</p>
<p>A god was most similar to a human. Their soul is constructed from several soul fragments. These soul fragments coming from newly deceased humans. These soul fragments merge together and the ‘strongest’ soul fragment would take over, while the other soul’s personalities and existence fade away. They can’t get sick, nor do they need food and sleep. But they can ‘die’ just as easily as a human. Gods are also given a title, to show what they are in charge of. It doesn’t have to be an element. Like Mephias, it can be a way to help the dead. Or like Michaelas the god of calamity, who caused death. They can also use weapons similarly to divine angels and shadow knights.</p>
<p>Shadow knights. Shadows wrapped around a soul, they’re harder to explain and they are portrayed as evil. Which Ori found funny considering their name originated from them being assigned to protect weaker species. Their blood is the exact opposite of hers. A tiny drop is highly poisonous and extremely painful to other species. If not treated, it could lead to a slow and agonizing death. They’re mostly under the radar, the only hint of being one was their uncanny yellow eyes, black hair, and a slightly grey tint to their skin.</p>
<p>Elemental demons. Even though they’re listed as demons, most of them are very kind. The demons take on a mostly human appearance, usually with unnatural colored hair and sometimes glowing eyes. Strong control of the element they gravitate towards. Is given a specific element based on what they did in their human lives. The demons are strong by themselves but by being soul bonded to someone, their power levels make them more or less equal. </p>
<p>Soul bonding is when you take a part of someone’s soul and attach it to another’s soul. A soul has been compared to a glass ball. Once it’s shattered it’s hard to fix. Ori wasn’t very good at explaining it. He just said it’s what lets us exist, without it we wouldn’t be here.</p>
<p>A month turned into two months. Their routine didn’t break and they never talked to anyone else. They only went into the lone building if they wanted a book. </p>
<p>A’s hair grew to hover right over her shoulders. The white color is often stained with dirt from the outside. Her bandaged eye recovered, she could still see with it, but the once vibrant purple is dulled. She is more talkative, and less guarded, more relaxed. She enjoys her time with Ori. </p>
<p>They were back at the clearing. It was around the afternoon and they hadn't done much that day.</p>
<p>“Are your wings broken or something?”</p>
<p>She looked over at him. “They can’t break, it’s impossible.”</p>
<p>“Then why haven’t you brought them out?”</p>
<p>“Well I haven’t brought them out in over six centuries, and it’s not like i’ve forgotten, I just don’t see a reason to bring them out.”</p>
<p>“So you can’t.”</p>
<p>“That’s not what I said. The only reason you want to see them is to study them.”</p>
<p>“Exactly. So what do I need to do for you to show me.”</p>
<p>She huffed and stood up, walking to the edge of the cliff. “I forgot what it felt like to fly, i’ll need to relearn.”</p>
<p>“And to do that, you need to what, jump?”</p>
<p>“That’s the plan.”</p>
<p>“You can swim?”</p>
<p>She turned to look at him. “You can’t? Just because I can fly doesn’t mean I never learned to swim.”</p>
<p>“Well, I never needed to learn because none of the tests required it.”</p>
<p>“I can teach-”</p>
<p>“Screw that. I don’t like the feeling anyways. Have fun in the water.” He crossed his arms and turned away. He didn’t hear her jump, but he did hear her hit the water. He walked to the edge to see her surface.</p>
<p>A blew hair out of her face and looked up. “Failed attempt number one!” She yelled up at him. She gripped onto the rocks and started her climb back up. This process repeated for hours, going into the night. She was soaking and nowhere closer to letting her wings out.</p>
<p>“This is boring.” Ori flopped onto the ground with his limbs spread out. He looked up at the artificial stars. “Stop jumping and figure this out.”</p>
<p>A leaned her face over his and let water droplets fall on him. He scrunched his nose up and shoved her face away with his hand. </p>
<p>“It’s not as easy as you make it sound. How about instead of sitting there and complaining you practice your own powers.”</p>
<p>“Ugh, as fun as it is to create weapons and swing them around like a maniac, I'd rather not. Have you even tried to bring them out?”</p>
<p>“Not really.”</p>
<p>He gaped at her. “Then why the hell are we here?!”</p>
<p>“It’s not the right time.”</p>
<p>“Not the right-, the fuck are you talking about?”<br/>
“Well it’s too dark to do anything.”<br/>
“Don’t ignore me-”<br/>
“I’ll wait till sunrise and try again, besides it’s the first day. It’s like trying to learn how to use a new weapon, practice makes perfect and it takes time.”<br/>
“Don’t sass me you shit.”<br/>
“But I'm only repeating what you said.”</p>
<p>He half-heartedly glared at her. A sat beside him and looked towards the water.</p>
<p>“How long have you been here?”<br/>
“Couple of years, no one stays here longer than a decade.”<br/>
“How old are you?”<br/>
“Sixteen, you?”<br/>
“Twelve. You look older.”<br/>
“And you look younger.”</p>
<p>He turned his head to watch her. She hasn’t smiled yet but she's joked, sassed, and relaxed. He thought if her wings came out then she would be happy. Maybe she would be able to leave with him. He had only planned for a few more years, she should be ready then, going off the progress they’ve made so far. He’s never had a friend, he just wants to keep her close. If he didn’t, she would find someone new, and he would be alone. </p>
<p>“You’re thinking too much, enjoy the night.” She said quietly. She was good at observations.</p>
<p>“I’ve wondered for the past month. You were in the lab for six centuries right?” A nod. “How come you adjusted to life so quickly? I was only in mine for half the time and it took me a while to even trust myself.”</p>
<p>“My power. I pushed the memories so far back. I could always bring them back easily but I want to enjoy my time here. I know if I took the long way of recovery then I’d be miserable.”</p>
<p>“But is it healthy to do that?”</p>
<p>“I’ll work it out eventually.”</p>
<p>They settled into a comforting silence. Sure, what A said was alright, but it didn’t sound good. If she was going to continue living, she would have to face it soon. Mistakes for them came with high consequences. </p>
<p>“Do you really think my wings would help?”</p>
<p>“They’re a part of you right? I think…” He struggled with his words. “They would put you at ease. With what you told me, they will wrap around you, turn into the sharpest weapon and shield you from the world. It would be just you, or anyone else in the circle that you’ll allow.”</p>
<p>“My own little safety bubble huh?”</p>
<p>He gave a soft laugh. “Yeah, something like that.”</p>
<p>They sat for hours till finally, it was the beginnings of sunrise. A stood silently. That old feeling of secure protection, she wanted it. It was actually easy to bring them back but she didn’t see the point. Still, she missed them.</p>
<p>A took in a breath. The smell of salty water reached her and the feeling of falling came soon after. The wind ruffled through her clothes and pulled at her hair, tangling it and creating small knots. There was hardly any sound. The children on the mountain were too far to hear but she knew they were enjoying themselves. Ori was still at the top of the cliff, getting as close as he could to the edge without the fear of falling off, watching her as she fell.</p>
<p>It felt like she was learning to fly all over again. The instincts knew what to do, just waiting for the rest of the body to catch up. Remembering her sister falling with her, holding her hand. Her blue hair flying around her until her wings yanked her back. She stayed in her spot until A figured out what to do on her own. Till two pairs of white wings were attached to two smiling little girls.</p>
<p>She stopped. Opening the eyes she didn’t realize she shut. Bringing up a hand to shield the sun and it blinded her. She could feel the water at her feet but the rest of her was dry. The heavy weight on her back was there. Moving slowly to keep her above the water.</p>
<p>Ori cheered from the top. She moved the appendages quicker and adjusted them to bring her up. It was a smooth trip. She landed back on the edge and the wings drooped a bit. She extended her left side out to rub against Ori’s arm. He jerked away but his hands started to lightly touch the feathers.</p>
<p>“So soft.” He said softly, as if he were talking to a small animal. “Do these need to be groomed?”</p>
<p>“Seriously? That’s the first question you asked?”</p>
<p>“What? It’s a good question. Lord, how is this so soft, aren’t these meant to be weapons?”</p>
<p>“We already discussed their purpose. And no, no grooming. They stay in perfect shape even when put away.”</p>
<p>“You do feel better though, right?”<br/>
A stared at him, the faintest of smiles on her face. “Yeah, I kinda do.”</p>
<p>698 years before the present</p>
<p>Mephias didn’t always come back with a new child. Sometimes he wanted to check up on the others, see who left and who remained. But never before did he bring another adult with him, especially not two. </p>
<p>A man and a woman. The man was tall, short brown hair and eyes, glasses. He wore some kind of scholar looking robe. He was calm, observing everything from afar. The woman was shorter than both of them. Her hair a light pink, curly in a set of pigtails, bright blue eyes. Her sundress was a plain light blue. She seemed bubbly, a bounce in her step as she looked around in awe.</p>
<p>For once, A and Ori were messing around inside. They were planning a prank of sorts to pull on the other kids. Myra and her gang had left a year ago, and some wannabes saw that as their chance to replace her. It was fun to tick them off. Not as easily offended as Myra got, but it was fun to test their limits. Just to listen to their empty threats of revenge.</p>
<p>Ori grew to be tall and lanky. He found an old beanie somewhere months ago and refused to take it off. His dark hair started to cover his eyes but he wants to wait to cut it till it’s impossible to see with it. </p>
<p>A grew slower. Her hair was now past shoulder length and stayed in a low ponytail most days. She still kept up the frail girl look, but the other kinds knew better than to try and pick a fight with her.</p>
<p>A and Ori were basically joined at the hip. They trained, traveled, pranked, etc together. </p>
<p>They both stared at Mephias and the two strangers, they stared back. </p>
<p>Mephias looked at the strangers. “Go to the usual room.” They nodded and left. He turned to them. “It’s good to see you two again, seems you were good for each other. Now do you two know what elemental demons are?”</p>
<p>They both nodded.</p>
<p>“Do you know why they’re well known?”</p>
<p>A looked at Ori but he looked right back. They shrugged and looked at Mephias.</p>
<p>“Well, they’re usually soul bonded to someone. The reason for that is it’s either as a punishment or an aid. In this case it will be for help.” He looked at A. “Are you alright with that?”</p>
<p>A pointed at herself. “Me? You’re saying I'm getting a demon.”<br/>
“That’s right.”</p>
<p>“But I don’t need help? Why me?”</p>
<p>“Well I can’t tell you everything. But, trust me for this once. This demon is very helpful, I’m not saying that you need help. But with the way you’re progressing, I think it would be best if he was with you. Remember this though, a soul bond can always be removed, don’t feel as though you’re being forced with this forever. Now if you would follow me, this will only take a moment.”</p>
<p>A looked at Ori. “Will you finish this without me? But don’t set it off until I’m back alright? I’ll kick your ass if I miss the faces of those idiots.”</p>
<p>Ori went back to work. “Sure. Just don’t take a century.”</p>
<p>A grinned and took off after Mephias, who started for the basement.</p>
<p>“You sure are different from the little girl I brought here two years ago. A good different.”</p>
<p>“Who knew that it only took a couple of months with a crazy person to bring me out of my shell?”</p>
<p>“What about the other kids?”</p>
<p>“Bystanders. Just there for fun really.” They started going down a long winding staircase. “So this demon, what’s he like?”</p>
<p>“You’ll learn. But know that he isn’t the fighting type.”</p>
<p>“Oh.” While she still subconsciously thinks about fighting everyone she knows, she wouldn’t really fight them. It would be a waste. But if she was getting ‘help’, shouldn’t she at least get a somewhat strong demon?</p>
<p>They reached the bottom and walked up to automatic doors. Past that everything was white and blue. Bright white lights, barely any furniture, save for two chairs and a table. The two strangers, demons, were talking softly. They looked up as soon as the door closed.</p>
<p>“Hi there!” The female stood up. “My name’s Akiko, that’s Alciel.” She jerked her thumb behind her. “We’re both elemental demons. You got a name?”</p>
<p>“My name is A.”</p>
<p>“Well A, Alciel here is the demon that you’ll soul bond with. I’m just here to do the process. My element is the soul.”</p>
<p>“And mine is knowledge.”</p>
<p>A looked at him. “Knowledge is an element?”</p>
<p>“I Know it doesn’t sound like it. Depends on how you look at it. I’m just placed into the same category. Similar to other elementals whose elements are really emotions. We’re all just placed into the same name.”</p>
<p>“Alciel takes a bit to get used to but I’m sure you’ll do fine. Come sit down so I can explain what’s going to happen.”</p>
<p>A glances at Mephias only to find him gone. She wasn’t worried at being alone but these two were weird. Still, she sat down across from Alciel. Akiko stood at their sides.</p>
<p>“Now it won’t take long. What I’m going to do is cut away a section of your soul. And in its place I’ll put in a piece of Alciel’s soul. The amount of your soul will over power his, making you the one in control. This process takes about three minutes, any questions so far?”</p>
<p>“How do you do that to my soul?”</p>
<p>“I remove it from your body. Oh, get that look off your face! The body and soul can be completely separated for up to five minutes at a time without either part dying. It’s painless if done by a professional like me. You’ll feel slight pressure as your soul is removed and your body will go into a light sleep. Questions?”</p>
<p>A shaked her head.</p>
<p>“Now when it means to be ‘in control’, that is used loosely. You can summon your demon to your side by calling out for them. Your demon has the inability to cause you harm unless you give them the command or permission to do so. The demon’s strength and it’s host’s strength become equal in some regard. If the demon so chooses you can control a part of their abilities.</p>
<p>Your demon can only possess it’s host when asked. It cannot possess anyone else. When the host dies the soul bond and or link, whatever you wish to call it, will be broken and the demon is free. If the demon dies the soul bond will be broken. This however can cause the host physical pain and grief.</p>
<p>The pain will fade with time. But the stronger connection you have, or having multiple demons, increases the pain and the time it remains. Any questions?”</p>
<p>“How does it affect the mind?”</p>
<p>“Both the demon and the host in time can form a sort of telepathic link if they wanted. Either side can block off any information they don’t want the other to see. Another cool thing is that over time, you’ll be able to see a physical thread that will lead you straight to the other, if you are somehow unable to bring them to you. Would you like to begin?”</p>
<p>“Yes.” It wasn’t a hard decision. It was weird to think about, being linked to someone. But it’s not permanent. If she seeked out Akiko at a later date, she knew Akiko would break it. </p>
<p>“Then just relax.”</p>
<p>A leaned back and relaxed her body. She closed her eyes when she felt a pull at her chest. Her body slumped and she was put into a half conscious state. Her eyelids were too heavy to open. She could faintly hear around her but it was muffled, like she was underwater. She couldn’t sense anyone on the mountain, not even the two demons beside her. She doesn’t know if she was breathing, and it started to slip from her mind of what was happening. </p>
<p>It felt like she was incredibly tired. Not quite like after a long training session, more like when they would inject her with those specially made drugs to subdue her until they got her back to her room. </p>
<p>But it was over as soon as it started. She sat up and opened her eyes. It looked like nothing had changed but she felt it. Like she was physically tied to Alciel. She felt like someone was behind her but the only people in the room she could see. </p>
<p>She didn’t feel stronger or weaker. Alciel didn’t look any different. </p>
<p>“How do you feel?” Akiko looked at her.</p>
<p>“Fine. What happens now?”</p>
<p>“Well Alciel will follow you if you want but he’ll just explore the place if you leave him be. I’m leaving, if you ever need me just ask Alciel. Got any important questions too, just ask him. The guy is a never ending book of knowledge. See ya.” Akiko disappeared, her body quickly turned into tiny pieces that broke apart to her left, and faded.</p>
<p>“That’s the most common way of teleporting.” Alciel brought her attention back. “I can tell you want to go back to your friend so I’ll leave you be.” He left the same way that Akiko did.</p>
<p>It felt like the link buzzed for a second then settled. A sat there for a moment and went over everything once more. She wasted no time after that and went back to Ori.</p>
<p>He was up in the rafters making the finishing touches. A climbed up after him.</p>
<p>“How did it go?”</p>
<p>“I have a soul bond now. The experience was weird.”</p>
<p>She explained what happened as they waited for their prey to arrive. Rory and his gang of dorks always came down this hallway for lunch time. Those kids had a fear of clumps of spiders. They got the dead clumps from the food machine in the dining room. Some species ate some gross things in there. They were only going to pour the spiders onto the kids, laugh at them, then make their grand escape.</p>
<p>They whispered quietly until they finally spotted the gang. They waited until they were right under them, then emptied their containers. Shrieks came from the children as they ran around trying to get rid of the spiders. Ori and A didn’t stick around for long, quickly going through the rafters and out the nearest window. Running to their favorite spot they laughed. They would have to get ready for Rory and the others trying to come for revenge, those kids were idiots.</p><hr/>
<p>It didn’t rain often, and when it did it was at night. Those were the only nights A and Ori slept in a bed on the highest floors. They only slept to pass the time or sit with each other to talk about plans for the next day.</p>
<p>Ori moved his room a few doors down, he was trying to sleep. In his dream he could faintly make out the outline of a young woman. She looked a lot like A. He was taller too, towering over the woman. Behind her he could see a white light exploding. He felt happiness and relief. Then it quickly went downhill as the woman collapsed onto him.</p>
<p>He lowered her body to the ground where he hugged her. He couldn’t feel her body anymore and when he looked down it was gone. He started to scream, a scream with no sound that sent out a shockwave.</p>
<p>And then he woke up. </p>
<p>Sitting up quickly, he put himself together and snuck into A’s room. She was sitting on her bed with her knees to her chest, arms around her legs. She didn’t look at him when he came in. She continued to stare out the window as he sat next to her and leaned against her side, he put his head on her shoulder.</p>
<p>They sat in the quiet, A waiting for Ori to speak first. He looked around the dark room but his eyes trailed back to the window.</p>
<p>“I had a dream.” She hummed in acknowledgement. “I think it was a dream from Fate. It was us, older versions. We were fighting something. I think you died.” </p>
<p>Fate had a physical form. She was unpredictable. It’s rare for her to give someone a glimpse of the future. Not much was really known about her. You could find her if you wanted but those who have never spoke much about their experience. </p>
<p>“We were older right? Don’t worry about it now. Let’s finish up here then get stronger. We can still change the future.” She didn’t say more. </p>
<p>He stayed right next to her for the rest of the night. They just had to get stronger, they could beat anything. But maybe they shouldn’t stick together after this. They should get better on their own. Since they looked older it must be centuries before those events take place. They’ll be fine.</p>
<p>697 years before the present</p>
<p>Ori snuck out quietly, going down the path towards the exit. He was leaving. He couldn’t find A but that was alright, she would know by morning. He didn’t look up until he reached the door, and there she was. </p>
<p>She looked up at him and blocked his path.</p>
<p>“Took you long enough.”</p>
<p>“Well I couldn’t find a certain someone.” He paused. “How did you know?”</p>
<p>“I could tell you wanted to leave since that night. I don’t blame you. Think I’ll stick around for another year or so.”</p>
<p>“You don’t want to come with?”</p>
<p>“You don’t want me to, and that’s fine. I think we both knew when we met that we would split apart before leaving.”</p>
<p>“You won’t be lonely?”</p>
<p>“Nah, most everyone who was here before me has left. New kids are coming in. When the sun rises today Mephias will bring over a new kid. I’ll just snag them before anyone else like you did to me.”</p>
<p>She opened her arms and he rushed over. Picking her up into a warm hug, they both smiled.</p>
<p>“So go out there,” They broke apart as A lightly punched him in the shoulder. “Go get your title, become the god of whatever. Go make some new friends and get stronger. And one day we’ll meet again, like Fate intended, but this time we won't lose. No one gets to die. After that we can share our stories together, alright?” </p>
<p>“Yeah, alright. Like you said, one day we’ll meet again.”</p>
<p>They stared at each other, silently communicating promises. A moved to the side and let him pass. He didn’t look back and She didn’t look up. They wouldn’t meet again until centuries later, when they’ve both grown into their skin and the worlds around them.</p><hr/>
<p>A waited just past the front doors of the building, wow, had she really just been calling it the building this whole time? Mephias came in with a boy following behind him. Mephias looked at A.</p>
<p>“It’s weird seeing you without Ori.”</p>
<p>“He left this morning. I’m here waiting for new bait.”</p>
<p>“Well it’s surprising you didn’t go with him.” Mephias ignored the second part and addressed the boy behind him. “If you need me I’ll be on the mountain today. You are in no danger here.” He gave her a look then left.</p>
<p>A walked up to the boy. He had bright, curly orange hair and golden eyes, he was also a head shorter than her. She didn’t reach out, nor did she speak loudly.</p>
<p>“Hey, my name’s A. What do I call you?”</p>
<p>The boy shifted away from her. “I don’t like my name.”</p>
<p>“That’s okay. I don’t like my name either so I just use my nickname. How about I give you one?”</p>
<p>“Do what you want.”</p>
<p>“Hmm.” A walked around him. He never took his eyes off her. When she came face to face with him she had decided. “Nagi.”</p>
<p>“Nagi?”</p>
<p>“It will suit you. Nice to meet you Nagi, wanna be friends?”</p>
<p>“The last friend I had tried to kill me.”</p>
<p>“Well now we have a couple of things in common.”</p>
<p>He looked at her in confusion.</p>
<p>She started to list off on her fingers. “We both don’t like our names, we both had previous friends try to kill us, and we both acted the same when arriving here. So, now that we’re friends-”</p>
<p>“We’re not.”</p>
<p>“I want to ask you something. What’s your goal?”</p>
<p>“My what?”</p>
<p>“Your goal. What keeps you going? What do you want to achieve in this life?”</p>
<p>“I don’t have one.”</p>
<p>“That’s fine, you’ll find one eventually. My goal is to help people. Not just help people, but people who are in a bad spot in their childhood, give them a place of peace. Kinda like this place. But not people like us.”</p>
<p>“You mean humans?”</p>
<p>“I do. I want to save them before all their innocence is gone. Sounds stupid doesn’t it?”</p>
<p>“I think that’s nice.”</p>
<p>“Yeah. So where are you from?”</p>
<p>“War.” He didn’t look at her anymore, instead looking at the rafters above her.</p>
<p>She knew what he was looking at. Rory and one of his friends had a bucket of mud waiting to pour it on her. She heard them up there earlier and waited for them to strike. The boys realized they were caught when Nagi looked at them. They quickly emptied the bucket and took off. Nagi moved to avoid the mud but he was too slow.</p>
<p>The mud never reached them though. He looked up and saw what looked like a wing with it’s feathers made of daggers. One wing outstretched towards him and the other shielding A. He could tell where the wings came from and instantly knew what A was. He should be cautious around something so dangerous but she just smiled at him. </p>
<p>“Those little shits really like to pick the best moments don’t they?” Her wings moved back and the mud came off once they disappeared. </p>
<p>“Hey Nagi, what are you?”</p>
<p>“I’m a god.”<br/>
“Cool, got a title yet?”<br/>
“No.”<br/>
“That’s fine, Ori doesn’t have one either.”</p>
<p>He didn’t bother asking who Ori was. He really just wanted to find somewhere quiet.</p>
<p>“You can meet Alciel later, he’s an elemental demon. We’re soul bonded and even though he sounds boring, he knows a lot of cool stuff.”</p>
<p>A moved around him to open the door. She looked back at him. “I can show you some cool spots on the mountain, wanna see?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Not exactly how I want it but it’s fine for now. I know there’s probably way too much speech and the pacing feels like it’s too fast and too slow. In the end this was really fun to write. I surpassed my goal of 5k words and got up to 8.8k. </p>
<p>This is way different to what I had written in my original outline. After each scene I had to adjust what would come later. And some parts that were meant to change how characters acted seemed so weak compared to what I originally planned. </p>
<p>I really had to speed along A’s personality and actions from cautious and indifferent to confident and playful. I really did just make her suppress everything for now but the trauma comes back way into the future. This isn’t even her entire backstory as we started from 700 years ago. This section and a few later on are just the really important ones. </p>
<p>With the names, I don’t really remember why I gave them these specific names as I gave it to them years ago. And some names are important for the storyline, kind of.  A’s real name isn’t really special, she just only wants those closest to her to know it.</p>
<p>Ori’s name is the first three letters from his first name. I used the name Ori from Hebrew origin meaning “my light”. I don’t know if I used it well enough in this stage of their lives. But in a cliche sense, to A, Ori was her light in the darkness. He brought something out of her that is important to the overall story.</p>
<p>Nagi has no relation to the real name I picked for him. Nagi in japanese roughly translates to calm, which is better shown when he’s more grown up.</p>
<p>To me, it doesn’t really matter how many people want to read this or not. This whole story and it’s characters have been a part of me for five years and it feels amazing to get my thoughts together and finally write them down. </p>
<p>I also have plans for adding the additional two chapters to this story to complete A's backstory so I can focus on the set of individuals that will save everything, hopefully. But A's backstory is really, really important for the future events that take place. So much to do.</p>
<p>Overall I’m glad I did this<br/>Thank you for reading</p></blockquote></div></div>
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